Knightly " I'm never going to be able to leave . I should never have come back here , " she says to herself . To say her words cut deep is an understatement . Phoebe sits down with her arms . wrapped around her belly . She's right , but not for the reasons she thinks . I'm hoping that she doesn't want to leave eventually . I sit down next to her . " Phoebe , before I tell you . I want to tell you that I never meant for any of this to happen , " " I know ," she says quietly . " I didn't either . This shouldn't have happened . I have an implant . I had an implant when we met , but we're here now , " she turns her body so she can look at me . I sit back so she sees what I'm telling her isn't some kind of joke . " Just rip the bandaid , Knight . I promise I can take it . I'm a big girl ," " I see that , " I smile . Those aren't the words I'd use to describe her. She's a woman . " Are you the mafia ? " she tries to guess . I laugh .. " No , " I shake my head . " We don't do anything illegal , " " Shit . Then I should be more scared . My dad works for the government and I hate him ," " We don't work for the government , " I rub my eyes . I see where Ayrie gets her enthusiasm . " I'm not making a joke here , Angel . I want you to understand that . This isn ' t bullshit . This is real and it sounds insane , " " Oh , god , " she swallows hard . " Go on . Say it , " " I'm a shifter ," I say as calmly as possible . Even to me , it sounds fucking stupid . Her imperial blue eyes zero in on me . " What ? " she asks in the same calm tone I used . " That's it ? " " Yeah , wait . What do you mean that's it ? " " Oh , my god , " she bursts into laughter . She looks genuinely relieved . " I mean holy shit , but still , I was thinking the fucking worst . You really had me going , Knight , " " I'm going to be honest with you , Angel . That's not the reaction I expected , " I laugh nervously . " Are you- " " No , no . I'm human . My stepmom is a werejaguar , " she breathes out heavily . " It's another reason why I don't speak to my dad . They have two sons and from the start , she made it pretty clear that I wasn't welcome in their home . My dad denies it , but ! think she killed my mom when they found one another . He's her mate ," " Shifters are very territorial , " I nod . Successfully unlocked ! That - I don't know what to make of this . I find it lucky that she knows about our existence . It makes it a little easier . Humans owned by our kind don't know what we are or that they're owned . Given her talent and success , her alpha keeps her very happy and pampered . " Does this mean they're like you ? " she asks . " Yes , " " What kind of shifter are you ? " " Wolf ," " I'm sorry , but I know nothing about wolves , " she takes my hand . " Cats are solo shifters Thear I can feel our bond rush through my body at the skin - to - skin contact . My wolf is ecstatic about the causal way she reached for us as if to comfort me . I'm still trying to catch up to her . My little human is strong . I " Well , we live in packs , " I explain . " We conquer territories . My dad , Freddy is the alphal of the City, " " That sounds important , " " It is . I guess in human terms , he's the king of the city . " . " No way , " her eyes widen . " That explains Kendra's reaction , " " How are you involved with Ruin Alcantar ? Where did you meet them ? " I can't help the possessiveness that comes over me . If she takes notice , she doesn't comment on it . " I'm not involved with him exactly ," she shrugs . " He seemed like more than just an acquaintance , " " He wishes , " she rolls her eyes . " I honestly don't know him well . I know him through Kendra . I swear I thought she was good people . She was a pediatrician when we met . When I brought the twins to be registered as American , she was the doctor that helped me in New York , " " She ran their blood ? " I ask . " Yeah , they did a full physical on both of them , " " Then what happened ? " She knew they weren't human . Maybe she was waiting around to see if their father would show up . " She asked me who the father was and I told her I did IVF . That it was anonymous , " " How did she end up working for you ? " Kendra knew that was a lie . We can't do that . There's only one way for a wolf to procreate . One look at our pups and it's obvious what they are . Especially with Ayrie . " I told her I lived in Paris and I told her who I was . I offered her a job jokingly . Before I went back , she called me and asked if I was serious . Her credentials were more than 2/4 10 perfect . She went to NYU and she came highly recommended . All that and she was willing to move to Paris with me ," " Did she live with you ? " " At first , but then she got her own place . She lives lived ," she corrects herself . " With me now because we're both looking for our own places . The condo is only until I get settled at work . It's just a six - month lease . Moving here kind of happened fast . I sure as hell didn't expect to run into you ever again , " That makes two of us , " I admit . " What happens now ?" she asks . " Knightly , what happens to the twins when you find . your mate ? " she asks suddenly . " I can't imagine- " " You don't have to worry about that , Phoebe ," I stop her from imagining anything about that " Was it her ? " she asks me . " Hailey ? " " You know about that ? " The whole world knows about that . Your brother died..I doubt the Rodens will ever recover from what you and your family did to them , " " I sure hope not , " I scoff . " I wouldn't have done my job properly if they do . " " What ? " she shakes her head . " No , she wasn't my mate . I met Hailey not long after I met you . I was in a dark place . and she was willing to overlook that . She was spoiled and she dropped everything to go on tour with us . She didn't even hesitate . " When the Striker tour was over , I brought her home with me . Her dad showed up and he demanded that we get married . A union between our packs , " " I thought you said you were adopted by Mr. Blake , " " I was , but my donor is also an alpha . Not like my dad . He's feral ," " What does that mean ? " there's an excited edge in her tone . " It means he doesn't need a luna to rule his pack , " " A moon ? " " A luna is what my mother is . She's the alpha female of the pack , " " Oh , like the queen ? " " Exactly , " " And that's a requirement ? " " Yes , for most packs . But he killed his mate after marking her , " " Is that allowed ? " she asks alarmed . " That's so scary , " 19 19